1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an occupant restraint system, in which a folded airbag is disposed along a side of a roof, and the airbag is inflated by gas generated by an inflator upon a vehicle collision to be deployed into a shape of curtain along the inner surface of the side of a vehicle compartment.
2. Description of the Related Art
The occupant restraint system is publicly known as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 3334570. This occupant restraint system includes a plurality of cells branching downward from gas distribution paths which extend along the upper rims of the airbag. Gas generated by an inflator is distributed to the upper end of each cell from the gas distribution paths, and the cells are cylindrically inflated. Thus, the occupant restraint system restrains an occupant.
A center pillar disposed on the inner surface of a side of a vehicle compartment of an automobile protrudes further inside than the door panes, which are positioned in the front and rear thereof, toward the vehicle compartment. Moreover, the side of the center pillar facing the compartment is provided with a through anchor of a seat belt. Accordingly, if one of the cells of the airbag, which is deployed downward from the side rim of the roof, extends so as to overlap with the center pillar, it is hard for the cell to come off when the lower end thereof is trapped by the center pillar. Hence, there has been a possibility that the airbag is prevented from being deployed smoothly.